FERNDALE – A man in a Halloween mask fired an assault rifle after police say he and an accomplice showed up to rob a 7-Eleven store, found the doors locked, and then tried to rob two passersby.

More than five shots were fired at a Ferndale man, 24, and his friend, 27, of Royal Oak outside the store at Nine Mile and Pinecrest roads about 2:40 a.m. Sunday.

“The victims were just unlucky and showed up at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Ferndale police Lt. Gary Whiting. “They fled for their lives. Thank God nobody got hurt.”

A woman who works at the store called police about the same time one of the victims flagged down a patrol car in the area.

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The 7-Eleven store had been closed because of a power outage and was getting ready to reopen when the gunman and another man showed up, police said.

“The guy with the Halloween mask on was carrying a rifle that looked like an AK-47 with a banana clip,” Whiting said. “The guy with him was also wearing a mask of some sort.”

The Ferndale man and his friend were walking up to the store right after the two assailants found they couldn’t get inside the store, police said.

The gunman sprayed the area with gunfire as the Ferndale and Royal Oak man ran away.

Police said they found bullet strikes on a lamppost and in the wall of a Taco Bell across the street, as well as a number of shell casings outside the 7-Eleven store.

Police setup a perimeter and called in a K-9 unit to track to the pair of would-be robbers.

The two were seen fleeing north on Pinecrest and police said they believe the men fled the area in a vehicle parked a short distance away.

The masked men are described as black and about average height and weight. The man with the Halloween mask and assault rifle was reportedly wearing a red shirt or jacket. The other man wore beige shorts, a blue shirt and a baseball cap.

Anyone with information is asked to call Ferndale Police at (248) 541-3650.